Command Master Chief (SW/AW/IDW) James Shumate was relieved Monday of his position as CMC of Strike Fighter Squadron 86. (Navy)

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The command master chief of an F/A-18E Super Hornet squadron was fired Monday following a captain’s mast for sexually harassing junior sailors, according to a Tuesday news release from Naval Air Force Pacific.

Command Master Chief (SW/AW/IDW) James Shumate also received a letter of reprimand from Cmdr. Ian Burgoon, head of Strike Fighter Squadron 86, for two counts of disobeying a lawful order or regulation, the release said. The “Sidewinders” are based out of Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.

“Shumate was found guilty of violating the Department of the Navy's sexual harassment policy by making sexually suggestive and possessive comments to junior enlisted sailors,” Lt. Reagan Lauritzen, a Naval Air Forces Pacific spokeswoman, told Navy Times.

The nonjudicial punishment followed an investigation into Shumate’s conduct during squadron training at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, in mid-May. Shumate was temporarily assigned to Strike Fighter Wing Pacific at NAS Lemoore during the investigation.

Shumate, an information systems technician, joined the Navy in 1987 as a radioman, according to his online bio. He previously served on the aircraft carrier Enterprise and as the senior enlisted adviser at Carrier Strike Group 12 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Senior Chief Yeoman Todd King will serve at VFA-86’s acting command master chief, according to the release.